The Long Stretch
by NoteEmmy
Summary: Yuugi tries to find the courage to stand on his own after Atem has departed. Kaiba, of course, gets the first duel.


Crossing this stretch of the road, he knew, was always going to be impossible to avoid. He hadn't wanted to avoid it. There was never going to be a way he could live in the shadows forever. His name was famous. He was the King of Games- a successor, really. No. He couldn't let himself think like that anymore. He'd beaten the spirit in a fair game. One that still touched upon his deepest emotions and left him feeling raw and bare most of the time. He couldn't think about it without tears welling in his eyes. He wasn't ready.

It wasn't luck that Kaiba waited at least a month. Not that the man cared about grieving or whatever it was that the rest of them did in their spare time after that wasted trip to Egypt, but he'd waited. He had better things to do, really. Running a company had his full attention and he'd been on enough stupid journeys with that stupid group that he was behind in all his paperwork. If he had had the time he would have challenged Yuugi right out of the gate. But he simply didn't. There was no hiding. Kaiba Seto was not a man that hid. He just had been busy.

And now he wasn't.

Yuugi couldn't refuse a challenge. It wasn't only his title that dictated such a thing to him but his pride and the thought that the sp- …Atem, Atem wouldn't like that very much. Atem would never refuse a challenge, least of all from Kaiba. After all they'd been through, wasn't Kaiba owed a duel, too? He'd wanted to take Atem on in their final bout. This was going to be the closest Yuugi could give him, this much he knew. The mere thought of it had him shaking, though. Not in fear, he wasn't truly afraid of Kaiba. He was more afraid of being a disappointment.

There was no time to organize another grand tournament just to pit them against each other, there was no time for a media call. All Kaiba wanted was to get this over with, a strange feeling. Usually when he was scheduled to duel _Yuugi_ he felt elated, excited, his heart pounded in his chest. But that wasn't that man anymore. He could see it now as they stood out in front of Kaiba Corporation, the crowd already gathering without a warning call. This was not that man. This was hardly a man at all. Hardly a duelist. Where had that strength gone?

His hands clenched as he realized such thoughts were hitting him so strongly. All of it was beneath him.

Yuugi was not blind to Kaiba's actions, even a field of distance apart. Already he was a disappointment and all he'd done was show up on time. How was this really supposed to go?

Decks at the ready and duel disks warming up, they both called out to start the game. And it was a tough one.

His deck responded to his fear, his unwillingness to do this. Maybe he thought he'd never duel again- as silly as that was. He couldn't go his life without dueling anymore. That was a ridiculous notion. But as he continued to draw poorly he wondered if his deck had given up on him. …no. He knew. It was he who had given up. Could he really not stand without the spirit's strength to hold him up? He'd dueled that man- he'd won! Why now was he having so much trouble? Without the spirit it all seemed so pointless. Maybe he should have waited longer to take this challenge. He knew now he wasn't ready to duel.

All Kaiba saw it as was a weakness, however. A weakness to mount and destroy. He could climb over this mere shell of a boy easily. It left him feeling uneasy, unsatisfied. Yuugi wasn't drawing poorly he was playing poorly. It was evidenced in the way he summoned his monsters to the field, how he laid traps that were never activated. This was a scared duelist. A weak one. Normally he could crush any such opponent and now he realized this was his chance. Unsatisfying as it was he would get back his title. It may not be the way he wanted and it would be the most unsatisfying defeat he'd ever laid to Yuugi, but his title was important.

Yet Yuugi stopped him as he went for a fatal blow. There was a real talent here that Kaiba couldn't ignore- it just wasn't the one he was looking for. As he looked into those soft eyes his hands clenched a second time. This was disgusting. It wasn't what he had been after. When he'd issued the challenge some sad part of him had been hoping that strong _Yuugi_ would come back to greet him. …now he knew. It wasn't a dream. That man had gone. While Yuugi had talent, while maybe he was worthy of the title, he'd never be worthy of the rivalry he had had with… Atem. Yes. That was his name, wasn't it?

Yuugi saw the realization in Kaiba's eyes. He saw it hit the man on like a ton of bricks. When he put it together why Kaiba was stalling (an unusual endeavor in and of itself), when he realized what Kaiba was seeing and feeling, the tears welled again. No. He'd never be the spirit, he'd never be Atem. He could never, ever take that place. He could never fill those shoes. But he'd surpassed that man. They'd gone out with words of peace. He didn't feel angry with Atem, he felt livid with Kaiba for silently suggesting that he simply wasn't good enough. How dare he?

The more he let that feeling run through him, the more he thought about the final duel and how they'd parted, the stronger he'd become. He was Mutou Yuugi- the only Yuugi in the world! The King of Games, no less. He didn't need Kaiba's approval to feel that way, that was just the truth. His dueling became stronger then, able to play the cards he wanted to fearlessly with no regard for waiting any longer, for feeling strategies that belonged to Atem. This was his deck now. This belonged to him.

As did victory.

Kaiba wasn't nearly as stunned when the loss hit him. Maybe, for a moment, when Yuugi came back to his own and stopped cowering he touched upon a feeling that he knew truly had left his life forever. But it wasn't good enough. Yuugi wasn't good enough. This loss didn't even feel as hard as the others he'd suffered. This wasn't the opponent he'd wanted. Without a word he turned from the boy to head back to his building. He had a lot of thinking to do.

"Kaiba-kun!"

Only more compiled evidence that this was all wrong. It would never be the same.

Yuugi dashed halfway across the field before stopping. "…it doesn't have to be this way." He was happy with what he'd accomplished. He knew now he didn't need Atem standing over his shoulder, he didn't need Atem's deck or his advice. Those memories would always be fond and he would always miss his partner. But he was Yuugi. Only he. And only he would be the King of Games for now. Only he would duel this way.

Kaiba regarded the sentiment before crushing it underneath his foot with a flare of his coat as he turned on his heel sharply. "Get off my property." This was it. That man was gone. His rival was gone, and this had been the only evidence he needed of that. Now he could focus on his company. He could focus on Mokuba. There was nothing left for him anymore in this game. Nothing without that horizon…

The feeling hurt but it didn't crush him. Not anymore. "It was a great duel!" He tried but by then Kaiba's mind was gone from him. He could already see. "I… I'll stop by later." He couldn't let the other fade away. He wouldn't. Even Atem would tell him-…yes, Atem would feel the same way. Kaiba didn't answer but that was alright.

They both needed still a little more time to think


End file.
